Poetry Across Time
Conflict
Introduce
The Right Word
By Imtiaz Dharker
Establish
A sense of perspective...
History will be
kind to me for I
intend to write it!
Establish
Terrorist?
Freedom Fighter?
Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered statesmen, who
led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa
with a multi-racial democracy.
In 1961, Mandela became leader of the armed wing of the African
National Congress (ANC). He launched a campaign of economic
sabotage against the military and government, making plans for a
possible guerilla war if the sabotage failed. He was arrested and
jailed for 27 years for attempting to violently overthrow the
government.
Establish/Discuss
Terrorist?
Freedom Fighter?
Che Guevara was a major figure in the Cuban revolution and a
Marxist revolutionary. Trained as a doctor, he was critical of the
expanding economic influence of America and capitalism. He
radicalised, convinced that the only way to bring about change was
by violent revolution, and wrote a manual on guerilla warfare.
He was shot in a schoolhouse in La Higuera on October 9, 1967 on
the order of the Bolivian President and his image is now a popular
icon representing youthful rebellion. Times Magazine named him
one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
Establish/Discuss
Defining 'Terrorism'...
1. Does it matter if the victims are soldiers
or civilians?
2. Does it matter if the act takes place on
military or public areas?
3. Does it matter if it takes place during war or peacetime?
4. Does it matter if the act is performed for a good cause?
5. How do you define a good cause?
6. Does it matter if those responsible for the attacks are
oppressed and are prevented from enjoying their basic
human rights?
7. Can governments perform acts of terror or only nongovernment groups?
8. Does the threat of attack qualify as 'terrorism' or must
the attack actually take place?
9. What are the differences between acts of war and acts of
terrorism?
Skill: Establish definition
The Right Word
By Imtiaz Dharker
Imtiaz Dharker calls herself a Scottish Muslim Calvinist,
but dislikes such limiting definitions. Recurring themes in
her poetry include cultural identity, freedom, displacement,
communal conflict, gender politics and freedom. Critics
suggest that her poems "unveil the delicate skin of love,
trust and sudden recognition" and that they "offer hope in
the face of violence". She makes use of the first person in
many of her poems; however, her poems are often about
speaking up rather than herself.
"I work with film, and I know that I can take one image
and edit it ten different ways, write ten different sets of
words, and make it into ten different stories. That's one
of the things that I'm trying to do in the poem 'The Right
Word'.
There is just one image, but it's an image that is
interpreted in different ways depending on the
preconceptions that fit into each verse."
Poet's Background and ideas
Exploring the Text
Think about the connotations of each word.
What happens as the poem progresses?
Nouns
terrorist
Verbs
lurking
Skill: Connotations of Noun/verb choice
The Right Word
Outside the door,
lurking in the shadows,
is a terrorist.
Is that the wrong description?
Outside that door,
taking shelter in the shadows,
is a freedom-fighter.
I haven’t got this right.
Outside, waiting in the shadows,
is a hostile militant.
Are words no more
than waving, wavering flags?
Outside your door,
watchful in the shadows,
is a guerrilla warrior.
God help me.
Outside, defying every shadow,
stands a martyr.
I saw his face.
No words can help me now.
Just outside the door,
lost in shadows,
is a child who looks like mine.
One word for you.
Outside my door,
his hand too steady,
his eyes too hard
is a boy who looks like your son, too.
I open the door.
Come in, I say.
Come in and eat with us.
The child steps in
and carefully, at my door,
takes off his shoes.
Imtiaz Dharker.
Poem
What does this
word suggest?
Suggests
vulnerability
Is there a right
or wrong answer?
The Right Word
This noun makes the
Outside the door,
lurking in the shadows, 1st stanza seem threatening
is a terrorist.
Is that the wrong description?
Outside that door,
taking shelter in the shadows,
is a freedom-fighter.
The speaker
questions
themselves
showing...?
I haven’t got this right.
Suggests threat
Outside, waiting in the shadows,
is a hostile militant.
Repetition of the word
'outside' reminds us that...
Another
threatening
term
Speaker is feeling
helpless and
threatened
Taking down mental
barriers caused by
language.
Are words no more
than waving, wavering flags?
Outside your door,
watchful in the shadows,
is a guerrilla warrior.
God help me.
Outside, defying every shadow,
Frightening idea of
stands a martyr.
I saw his face.
someone willing to die
No words can help me now.
Just outside the door,
lost in shadows,
is a child who looks like mine.
and kill for their
religious.
Realising that the
person is a child =
less threatening
One word for you.
Tone changes
Outside my door,
showing...?
his hand too steady,
his eyes too hard
is a boy who looks like your son, too.
I open the door.
Repetition used Come in, I say.
{ Come in and eat with us.
Emphasises
what?
Is this the
right word?
An attempt to
communicate?
The child steps in
and carefully, at my door,
takes off his shoes.
Focus Qs
Reminds the
reader of?
What does this
suggest?
} What is significant
about these last 2 lines?
Exploring the text:
1
Heart of poem
* Find the first word of the middle stanza.
* How does this word link to the ideas
before/after and what the poet feels/does?
Use of questions
* What questions are asked?
* Why?
Placement
* Track the references to inside/outside
* What do you notice?
Task: Exploring the text
his hand too steady,
his eyes too hard
is a boy who looks like your son, too.
Endings:
The child steps in
and carefully, at my door,
takes off his shoes
Reflection...
* Why does the poet introduce
the child?
* What is the significance of
the doorstep?
Explain your ideas.
Skill: Reading for Meaning
Look at the images below:
Can you find the quotation/idea
that they refer to?
Question Time!
1. Why is the speaker scared of the
person outside their door?
2. What does the speaker originally
think is at their door?
3. What is significant about the title?
What does the poet suggest about language?
4. When does the tone change in the poem and why?
5. Did the speaker eventually find the right word?
Quick Questions
Agree or Disagree?
1. The poet suggests that the only
way to put a stop to fear and
violence is to treat people with love
and friendship.
2. The poem shows that conflict and violence are based
on fear and prejudice.
3. The poem suggests that faith in God can lead us towards
peace.
4. An important message that the poem gives us is that when
we respect our enemies they will treat us with respect too.
5. A key idea in the poem is that the word we use to label a
person can blind us to the truth about them.
Agree/Disagree
Links:
Article about the poet:
http://india.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/
cms_module/index.php?obj_id=2720
The poet's website:
http://www.imtiazdharker.com/
Poet reads the poem:
http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/
singlePoem.do?poemId=14258
Poet talks about being labelled a 'spiritual writer':
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p0062ygx/
Heart_And_Soul_Spiritual_Journeys_Episode_3
Article about the definition of terrorism:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/may/07/
terrorism
Article about resistance movements:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_movement
Guardian advert about points of view:
http://adland.tv/commercials/guardian-pointsview-1986-030-uk
Links and References